Crispy, tender, and juicy Lechon Kawali! Whether you opt for the oven, air-fryer, or traditional deep-frying method, the choice is yours. Discover the "best" method that suits your personal preference and equipment availability. All tips and instructions you need are here!
Make vertical slits (don’t cut through!) around the edges of the skin of the pork belly (see video). This prevents the pork from curling–easier to lay flat in the air fryer and oven.
Boil until tender (note 2) - Place pork belly, salt, chicken bouillon, scallions, and whole black pepper in a deep pot or Instant pot. Pour water enough to cover. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium. Cook the pork until fork tender. Cooking time will depend on the thickness of the meat.
Remove the pork from the pot and place it on a wire rack with a baking sheet under it. Rub the skin with vinegar. Let it cool.
Poke the skin with skewers or a fork across the entire surface of the pork belly skin. Be careful not to go too deep into the meat.
Season with salt - Lightlyseason the flesh side with salt then flip to the other side skin side up. Sprinkle the remaining salt evenly all over the skin. Do this by section using small amounts until all parts are salted.
Option 1 - Crisp in the oven (note 3):
Preheat the oven to 425°F /220°C for 20 mins.
Place pork in a baking tray with a wire rack. Set oven to BROIL mode if available. Cook until the skin starts puffing. When the skin begins to puff, lower the temperature to 400°F/200°C and continue cooking until crispy and brown all over. Rotate with a tong every now and then to evenly brown all sides as needed.
Option 2 - Crisp in an air fryer:
Preheat the air-fryer to 400°F (200°C) for 5 minutes.
Air-fry the pork for 30 to 40 minutes until the skin starts puffing. Reduce the heat to 180c/356f and continue cooking until the pork belly is crispy all over. Rotate with a tong every now and then to evenly brown all sides.
Option 3 - Deep fry (note 4):
Dry the skin - Pre-heat oven or air-fryer to 350°F/ 180°C. Place the pork inside and cook for around 20 minutes to dry out the skin. Another option is to air dry the pork belly skin by placing it uncovered in the refrigerator overnight.
Heat oil - Pour oil into a deep pot making sure that it doesn’t go above halfway up the pot. Heat oil over medium heat to 190°C / 375°F (note 4).
Fry - Using long tongs, lower the pork belly gently skin side down. Fry until golden brown, and crisp, and skin is puffed and crispy.
Serve
Transfer to a wire rack and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Cut pork into slices and serve with your favorite dipping sauce.
Video
Notes
For the salt, I recommend using a coarse-grained type such as sea salt and kosher. Table salt and iodized salt is not recommended for this recipe.
Boiling the pork: Stovetop usually takes 50 minutes to 1 hour. Longer if using thicker cuts of pork belly. To quickly tenderize the meat, you can use a pressure cooker or instant pot. Reduce the water as needed. Pressure cook for 20 minutes (high pressure in the Instant Pot and use quick release). Thicker cuts many need longer cooking time.
Broil mode is often known as grill mode in other oven settings. Temperature can be adjusted in this mode in most ovens. Please refer to your manual. Caution:Don't place the pork at the top rack as oil may splatter into the heat source and create smoke inside the oven.
Oil Temperature - The easiest way to check if the oil is at the right temperature is to stick a wooden chopstick or the end of a wooden spoon into the oil. If it's bubbling (see picture above), then it's ready. If it's bubbly too rapidly then it's too hot and will burn the chicken. Let it cool a bit then test again.
Reserve the broth for other recipes. Use to make pancit bihon or canton or other Filipino vegetable dishes.
Nutrition - Assuming the pork absorbs 3 tablespoons of oil. It is impossible for me to determine exactly how much oil is absorbed during frying.